Machine for leveling and stacking match-splints.



A. F. NEY. MACHINE FOR LEVELING AND STACKING MATCH sums. APPLICATIONFILED IAN. 28, 1919.

1 5299 995., Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

b k K) Q R 2 SHEETS-SHEET I- i an MACHINE FOR LEvnLmG Ann s'rnoxmeMA'rcn-srmnrs.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW FRANCIS NEY, j

a subject of'the King of Great Britain, re-

siding at Glenelg, Edward street, East Kew, in the State ofVict0ria,,Australia-,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines forLeveling and Stacking Match-Splints of which the following is aspecification.

This invention consists of a machine for leveling match splints andstacking same uniformly into blocks ready to be fed into the matchmaking machines.

The machines heretofore employed for this purpose consisted of a comaratively shallow reciprocating receptacle cown into which was swung ahinged hopper having a partitioned bottom to separate the stacks ofsplints, 'When the receptacle was filled the hopper was swung up leavingthe splints in unsupported stacks which had to be removed by hand andplaced in trays or boxes to be subsequently carried to the matchmaking-machines.

The lifting of the hopper and the manual handling of the splintsoccasions disarrangement of the stacks and inevitable wastage and theobject of this invention is to produce a machine which will obviatemanual handling of the stacks and deliver same into boxes containingquantities as required for feeding the match making machines.

Accordingly the receptacle is provided with a slide'bottom or tray uponwhich is placed a number of narrow deep boxes hav- "ing verticallymovable loose bottoms supported by uprights on a vertically operatedskeleton frame or deck. A detachable hopthe receptacle and as thesplints delivered into the hopper are shaken into the boxes the bottomsof same, which at the commencement of operation are near the top,gradually descend until the boxes are filled when an end door of themachine is opened and the bottom tray of the receptacle supporting theboxes is withdrawn and taken to the match making machines where theboxes are inverted and compact blocks 01% Specification of LettersPatent.

comprise:

per with a partitioned bottom is fitted on Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

Application filed January as, 1919. Serial No. 273,614.

uniformly level splints are delivered into the hopper of the machine.

The drawings illustrating the invention Figure l aplan of the machine(broken) and showing a horizontalsection of some boxes taken below thebottoms thereof.

Fig. 2 a part longitudinal vertical section through some boxes showncontaining splints. i

I Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line III-- III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan of the gearing beneath the receptacle. j

Fig. 5 is a detail view of said figure on line VV thereof; and

Fig. 6 is a side view of portions of the gearing shown in Figs. '1 and4:.

Referring to these drawings the receptacle l is formed with a slidebottom or tray 2 provided with a handle 3 and supported on angle ironrunners 4. on the bottom of the sides of the receptacle. At one end ofthe receptacle is a removable door 5 provided with a handle 6 andsecured by clamps 7 The hopper 8 fits into the top of the receptacle andis shouldered'to be seated on the top edge thereof as in Fig.3.Thebottom of the hopper is formed of transverse partition bars '9 andlongitudinal metal partition plates 10 forming rectangular divisions.

Upon the tray 2 are packed a number of deep narrow boxes 11 which fillthereceptacle, the adjacent side edges of said boxes being covered bythe bars 9 as in Fig. 2.

The bottoms 12 of the boxes are loose and are supported upon uprights 13of metal for instance, which uprights preferably are ranged in pairs foreach box extend upwardly from a skeleton frame or deck 63 fixed to theframe of thereceptacle and ..vided with a clutch 30.

extending vertically downward therefrom. The racks 23 slidably engagevertical grooved guides 24 and are operated by pinions 25 each mountedon a longitudinal shaft 26 provided with a worm wheel 27 gearing with aworm 28 on av transverse shaft 29-pro- Uponshaft 29. is mounted aratchet or disk 31 operated by a pawl 32 on a connecting arm 33 pivotedon a lever 51 Fig. 6

connected by a link 52 with the crank pin 3 1-ofa crank disk 35 on atransverse shaft 36 rotated by means of a sprocketgearing 37 deriving-motion from the main shaft 38 upon which the eccentrics 19 are mounted.The rate at which the racks and conse-- quently the bottoms of the boxeswill be lowered may be regulated by adjusting the arm 33 relativeto thepivots 53 of the lever. This may be efi'ected by connecting the.armi33to a block 54 vertically movable on .a screw threaded rod 55rotated'by a nut 56 by means of a finger grip 57 as in Fig. 6. By thismeans the pawl 32 in its idles'troke \will pass over one or moreteeth'of the ratchet wheel or disk 31.

By means of this gearing or similar gear for the samepurpose the racks23 and consequently the bottoms 12 of-theboxes. supported bythe uprights113' are gradually lowered assaid boxesare filling with the splints.

Theclutch 30 can be operated manually by means of a lever 39 connectedby a link .40 withva bell crank lever 41 provided with a connecting rod42 attached to a hand operated lever 43.

Means are also provided for automatically-throwing-the clutch out ofgear when theboxes are nearly filled andfor this purpose a 'trlp finger44 is fixed to the shaft '26 adjacent this gear so. as to contact at apredetermined time withthe projecting end 15 of the bell crank lever 40and accomplish-the same object as the'hand lever 43 when operated todeclutch the gear.

In order to maintain the clutch in one or other of its p0sitions,'thebell crank lever 41; is connected by a rod 46 with a verticallydisposedlarm 47 mounted. on a. pivot 4:8 ona ground block and providedat the top with a weight 19. This weighted arm comes to rest on one sideor other of the central vertical line of the pivot and preventsinadvertent reversal of the clutch.

The racks must be raised at the start of 1 operations to carry thebottoms of the boxes to the top as in Fig. 3 and this may beaccomplished by gearingbut according to; the construction illustratedthe shaft 29 is provided with a crank hand wheel 50 which is operatedwhen the shaft is declutched to reverse the worm gearing,-the shafts 26and pinions 25 which raise the racks or to complete the final descendingmotion of the racks.

YVith this machine as illustrated theautomatic throw out of the clutchtakes place when theboxes are not quite filled and the divisions of thehopper are filled ,With

splints. To finally complete the descent of the bottoms of the boxes andcompletely fill the latter, the hand-wheel 50 is operated and also forthepurpose of insuring. the upright supports 13 being withdrawn. fromthe slots 66 in the tray 2. i

1. In a machine for leveling and stacking match splintsya reciprocatingreceptacle, a plurality of boxes in saidreceptacle; a

loose normally raised vertically movable bottom in each box meanstolowersaid bottoms as the boxes fill with splints, va hopper detachablymounted in the .top of the receptacle, a partitioned bottominthe hopper,a slide tray in the bottom of the receptacle to support the boxes andverti- .cally mov able uprights to support the loose bottoms of theboxes. I

2. In a machine as set forth in claim 1, avertically movable frame towhich the uprightssupporting the boxbottoms arefixed,

adapted to reciprocate with the receptacle.

3. The construction as set forth in claim 2, and in which the receptacleis=provided with downwardly extending guides with which engage. thecorners of the vertically movable frame.

4.'-The construction as set forth in claim 2 and inwhich theframe isprovided with slideblocks interengaging withqthe means employed for thvertical movementof-the said frame. 1

5. The construction asset forthv inclaim a. andin which the slide blocksengage with the-upper ends of racks. workingin vertical guides andoperated. bypinions rotated by gearing. I

'6. The construction asset forth in claim '2 and in. which the uprightspassthrough slotted guide bars and through slots in a slide tray formingthe bottom of'the'receptacle.

7 The construction. asset forth in claim 5 and in which a rotatingfinger on a shaft of the gear contacts with aloell crank lever whichoperates a clutch in the gearing for the purpose specified.

8. The construction as set forth in claim 5 and in which the pinions aremounted on shafts rotated by worm gearing through the medium of a shaftoperated by pawl and ratchet gearing.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for 9. The construction as setforth in claims 7 and 8 and in which the clutch is on the shaftoperating the worm gearing and said shaft is provided with a hand wheel.

10. Theconstruetion as set forth in claim 7 and in which the bell cranklever operating the clutch is connected by a c0nnecting rod with a handlever.

ANDREW FRANCIS NEY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. 0.

